How to Use a Sharpening Stone | Knives

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Learn how to use a sharpening stone in this Howcast video with expert Dan Delavan.

A sharpening stone is a stone that has got a coarse side and usually a finer side, and that is going to take and re-shape your edge and get it back down thin enough in order to sharpen it. You are basically taking something that is blunt and thinning it back down. You have to remove all of this extra metal and get it back down to where it is thin enough to cut. Very simply, all a knife is is a very thin piece of steel to split whatever you are cutting. If the knife is obviously thicker, it is like trying to cut something with a chisel; it is not going to happen.

There are two stones. There is the India and there is the crystolon. Once you feel them, obviously the difference is coarseness. The one thing about the India stone, it is a harder stone and the brown is the finer side, you have to use oil with it. You cannot use it dry, so therefore it is messy.

The coarse stone will cut the metal off quicker but it is going to give you a rougher edge but that way the job gets done quicker, without the oil. It is not as messy. This is just a real simple set up. If you do wood work you can make a little wooden box and rout it out. In this particular case it is just a 2x4, stone traced out, finishing nails tapped down so they are deeper than the stone so when you drop the stone in, if you are at a workbench you can C-clamp it down in place or you can hold on to it.

So you are going to start at the heel and you are going to time it so that it goes all the way across. You go from one side to the other. You also want to make sure that your stone, I am not going to use as much pressure as I normally would because I cannot mount it on this showcase, you want to alternate from side to side to keep your bevel centered. Some people will take and do three times on one side and then three times on the other, the problem is that your backhand is never as good as your forehand and you end up cheating and you are going to end up with a blade that is offset. That is going to take it and thin down, you are going to get a thin bevel right on the edge. Once you get that V established, you can go from the coarser side to the finer side.

It is the same thing; you want to alternate from one side to the other. Just keep working it until it smooths out. Usually it does not take quite as long on this side because you are just smoothing it out. As you go through the finer stones, if you just choose to do that you are just polishing.

The other question is angle; how do I know what angle to use? It is a real simple guide. If you can imagine this was a big cube of butter and you know how it goes bad? You are just going to filet the top of it off. Again, there are people that do it other ways that work for them great. This is a tried, true simple way of doing it.

[sKarmA]

I'll take "places I wouldn't want to be when a tornado hits" for $500, Alex

[sense]

2:54 that butter analogy was a game changer for me.

[chloewright]

@Howcast I've watched so many videos on how to "properly" sharpen knives, but they all give different advice. In the end, I resorted to just guessing and doing it myself, but I could never get it just right. After deciding to give YouTube another go, I came across your video first, and I didn't need to watch any more. I wish I'd have found this tutorial years ago - it would have saved me so much time, effort and money! Thank you so much for your very helpful, informative, quick and easy demonstration.

[vstarbiker]

I've been through about a dozen "How To" videos here. 1st one I've seen the technique is same one I've been taught, and read in phamplets comes with knives I've bought. All the rest are showing the back & forth method, the circular method, the heel to tip then tip to heel, all sorts of weird methods. I am 61, been sharpening knives, machetes, hoes & axes since I was a teen. Always sharpen as if trying to cut a thin slice off the stone. Razor sharp! Good vid, start hard strokes, finish light.

[blancaw]

Thanks I need to get all my knives razor sharp. Thanksgiving is coming and my sister-in-law will be making another bone dry turkey. If I can’t get the cutlery sharp enough I will have to use a fire ax again this year to slice through. 

[VUclear]

The 'picket fence' of nails is a great ideal. Simple. Easy to understand. The illustration of blade edge shape is a clear explanation. Wonderful video.

[kurtcobain]

Don't let the tip flick off at the end of the swipe like that, shortens the tip, as well as thinins the tip. As you swipe, lift up and away as you continue forward as if the stone was longer. Continue the motion all the way through, do not come off the stone, but let the stone run out rather. Become the stone my friend, and mate the knife. 🙏

[roriohara]

Thanks, this was the best demo I've seen. Simple & fast. One-to-one strokes to keep it even. Makes sense to me.

[amstorm]

Your how to use a sharpening stone method indeed seems very effective. Thank you so much.

[jimjimmyjames]

This is the best sharpening video I've seen so far. Simple. Direct.

[GQMindSpeaks]

I’m so glad I found this video. Just about everyone else has long videos and talk about all other accessories to sharpen with a stone!

[dandelavan]

Up to you on running the tip off the side of the stone. If your motion is correct it just comes off. I do it both ways but try to keep it simple for people who are just learning as they have trouble getting the motion down. One long slice seems to work the easiest as most people seem to let up in the middle of the blade which leads to their knife getting out of shape and only half of it sharp. There are so many ways to sharpen, but hopefully this gets you started and not afraid of it! Hope to redo the video this summer.

[nepku]

Thanks a lot. Your method is really simple and easy to learn. Keep up the good work 👍👍👍👍

[edisonduque]

Thank you Mr Dan. You have explained it quite simple, twice good.

[shanestuart-ramirez]

Great instructional video explaining one style to sharpen and giving the rationale on why he sharpened a certain way. Thanks again!

[vivekrai]

Thanks for the uncomplicated demonstration.... a nice and neat job!

[donlessnau]

Excellent vid. Thanks for taking the time. Your method works like a charm. Well done.

[DJBRUCEK]

EXCELLENT!! I learned more in your short video than I thought I knew all these years;
just goes to show you that you can always learn something new!! I liked your stone holder as well; very ingenious!! keep the good tips (no pun intended) coming...

[sharkdavid]

The knife on the stone is such a satisfying sound *_*

[grampsmatt]

I'm 54 years old and this is th first time in my life I've seen a great explanation on knife sharpening using both stone and steel (earlier vid by this same guy). Now to drag out Grandpa's carving knife which I inheirited, sharpen it the right way on the stone and do the Thanksgiving Turkey carving the RIGHT way this year.